In Plain Sight
by rogue-scholar07
Summary: When Dafne of Sparks sacrifices nearly all of her life force, making her too weak to become a nymph, the Great Dragon comes up with an alternative plan. It turns her into a baby to be raised as a powerless human. Her new identity? Daphne Blake.
1. Suicide and Redemption

**Author's note:**** This may look like a very awkward crossover, but bear with me, it does make sense if you think about both series. **

**Summary: ****When Dafne sacrificed her life energy to save her infant sister Bloom, leaving her too weak to survive becoming a nymph, the Great Dragon had to come up with another way to bring her back to life. So it turned her into a powerless infant to live out her life on the planet earth until she reached adulthood. Her new identity? Daphne Blake of Coolsville. **

**In Plain Sight**

**1. Suicide and Redemption**

Dafne let out a violent scream as the Ancestresses' final attack crashed over her. She was dead, and she knew it. There was no way ANY fairy could survive being drained by shadow energy, having your limbs frozen solid, and then having said limbs ripped apart by a wild hurricane. Yes, the Ancestral Witches did their job well, but so had she. She'd fought them with every last ounce of magic she could muster up. But in the end, the odds were against her, and there was no way to overcome them.

In a way, it was frightening. After all, she had just been torn apart by tiny frozen daggers and sent into the great unknown. She wasn't exactly sure what happened to a fairy when she died. Some disappeared forever. Some got turned into nymphs. She'd even heard rumors that one could have their life essence, their power core, transferred to a different fairy farther down the line. Not that that mattered here. There was next to no magic left to salvage from her.

But on the other hand, she was relieved. The witches hadn't seen where she hid her sister. Baby Bloom was safe at last, and would hopefully grow into a strong, confident fairy who would restore their home world of Domino. Oh, how she would love to watch the child grow! To be there to help her cast her first spells. To give her flying lessons. But that was a far away dream now, and reality was cold and excruciatingly painful.

Yet, in it all, Dafne felt a sense of finality. She completed the task assigned to her, and no matter what happened after this, she had done what she needed to save her people (she hoped!). It gave her a sense of peace. Peace, after so many months of watching the suffering of those around her, was hers at last.

* * *

The Great Dragon was not pleased by this turn of events. Initially, it wanted to turn Dafne into a nymph, a ghost-fairy, but she'd wasted too much energy for her essence to survive the process. But darn it, he needed her alive in some form of the word! But the only way to manage that now would be to turn her into some smaller being.

Now there was an idea.

No, not a smaller being. But a smaller human. If she were returned as a baby, she could grow in strength and mental prowess until the time when she would be able to handle having her powers again. Of course she would lose all memory of her prior life until then, but…it was really for the best this way. Bloom would need a guardian once she got older. Someone to direct her. Who better than her sister, live in the flesh? Yes, this would work out well the advantage of its plan.

Dafne, First Princess of Domino and Fairy of the Water Stars, was about to embark on a new chapter in her life.

* * *

George and Patricia Blake had no intentions of having another child. They already had four beautiful daughters—Daisy, Dawn, Dorothy, and Delilah—and Patricia point-blank refused to go through yet another pregnancy. No, the Blakes were done with having children of their own.

But adoption…well that was another matter entirely.

Patricia was busy settling their girls in for the night when she heard the sound of a baby crying-and not from one of her children! "George? Do you hear that?" She asked.

Her husband thought a moment, listening to the sounds going on. "Sounds like it's coming from outside." He said, getting up out of his recliner and walking to the front door. The closer he got, the louder the crying became. When he opened the door, he gasped at the sight of a baby, wrapped in a purple blanket, lying on the front doorstep.

"Get the girls settled in!" He called back to her. "I need to make a trip to the hospital!"

"Oh, the poor thing!" His wife exclaimed as their older two daughters poked their heads over the stair railing on the second floor. "I hope it's okay!"

"Only one way to find out." He replied. "I'll call home once I have a report."

She nodded, then turned her attention to the girls. Daisy, Dawn, go back to your rooms, dears."

"Okay." Daisy pouted before going back to her bedroom. Her sister followed behind silently.

After over an hour waiting by the phone, George finally called home. Patricia answered on the first ring. "Oh, George, how is it?"

"The doctors say she's perfectly healthy." She heard her husband sigh.

"I sense a 'but' coming in that explanation." She stated.

"You know me too well." He replied. "Anyway, it seems no one has come in reporting a missing baby, nor any sick mothers coming in without one. It's like she came out of nowhere."

"Babies do not simply come out of thin air." Patricia pointed out. "Is there anything we can do?"

"Not tonight." He said. "They want to keep her for observation. If nobody's claimed her by morning, we can take her home and watch her for a few weeks."

"And if no one claims her at all?" She asked. He sighed.

"Then I suppose Social Services will give us a call."

The next morning, George returned home with the tiny little girl. She had a tuft of bright red-orange hair on her head and blue-green eyes. "Well, she's ours for now." He told his wife as she rocked the infant in her arms.

"I get the feeling she's ours for _good_, dear." She smiled as three-year-old Dorothy toddled in to get a better look at the newest edition to the Blake household.

"She's pretty, Mama." Dotty grinned. "Prettier than 'Lilah!"

"She is a beautiful girl." George conceded. "But what will we call her?"

"She's a D!" Dotty smiled. "Just like the rest of us!"

"Yes, I suppose she is." Her father chuckled. "A D-name. But which one?"

"Daphne." Patricia smiled down at the babe. "She looks like a Daphne."

"Daffy!" Delilah, the youngest of the Blake's 4 older girls, cackled from her high chair. She was barely a year old, and was still just learning to talk.

"Looks like it's set then." George smiled. "Daphne Blake. Yes, I like the sound of that!"

And so Daphne became a part of the Blake family. Her parents and older sisters all loved the precocious, if clumsy, little red-head, and she grew into a beautiful young woman. She even got into the mystery-solving profession with a few other local kids.

Little did she know that the biggest mystery of all was the one surrounding herself.


	2. Do You Believe in Magic?

**A/N:**** for those of you who didn't keep up with all the wacky capers of the Scooby Doo franchise, this fiction is going to feature aspects of some of the recent TV shows and a couple of older movies, namely the "Reluctant Werewolf" and "Ghoul School" feature films. You'll see why in a bit.**

**In Plain Sight**

**2. Do You Believe in Magic?**

On a Tuesday evening, most community college students would be studying for a test, doing homework, or sitting down to watch television. This was not so for the four kids and one rather talkative Great Dane that comprised the detective agency known as Mystery Incorporated. Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, Norville "Shaggy" Rogers, and Scooby Doo were yet again focused on a mystery. This time, the gang was trying to capture a man masquerading as a troll in a warehouse to cover up a counterfeiting scheme. All they had to do was catch the masked man in the act.

"Okay, Scooby and Shaggy will act as live bait, leading the monster into the net trap." Fred informed the others of his latest plan. "When the troll walks on top of the rope net, Daphne, Velma, and I will pull the net in the air, catching our crook."

"Are you sure you want me up on the catwalk, Freddie?" Daphne asked worriedly. Usually, when she was assigned the high railing, her natural clumsiness made her fall off!

"Sure I'm sure!" He said. "Those karate classes you've been taking are starting to pay off!"

"If you say so." The redhead said, hands on her hips.

"I would, but I'm afraid I'd lose my glasses." Velma smiled sheepishly. The brunette girl was rather notorious for losing her eyewear, and was quite blind without them.

"Velma, we need to get you a pair of keepers for those glasses." Shaggy said. "That or a pair of goggles."

"No way!" Daphne protested. "Goggles are so not the right way to go with her facial structure!"

"Can we just get on with the plan?" Fred asked impatiently.

"Of course, Freddie." Daphne smiled, her blue-green eyes glistening with mischief. "But if I get hurt, I'm blaming you."

As soon as the trap was set, Daphne knew they were in trouble. Instead of netting the monster, they'd caught Shaggy and Scooby. That led to the creature running over Velma, Freddie whacking it over the head, and subsequently being thrown into a stack of cardboard boxes, and Velma losing her glasses in the scuffle. The fashionable redhead had been running down the not-so-stable metal stairs of the catwalk when the troll fiend decided to come after her.

"Nice troll." She smiled sheepishly as it blocked her exit, wrapping its massive hands around the thin railing. "Oh no you don't!" She shouted, making a mad lunge toward it. The costumed fiend was caught off guard by the action, and both tumbled back down the stairs. Daphne landed flat on her back, the troll-man half on top of her legs. He got up first, searching for something to take his mind off the bruises he would no doubt have in the morning. He settled on Velma, since Fred was now perched precariously on top of a box while attempting to cut Scooby and Shaggy free. The smaller girl had just gotten her glasses back on in time to see the monster come up to grab her.

He didn't notice Daphne getting shakily to her feet behind him. She looked over just in time to see one of her best friends about to become a troll's chew toy, and a fury unlike any other took over. "Leave her alone!" She shouted, causing the creature to turn around. A violent lavender aura now surrounded the teen as she stepped closer to the would-be attacker. Stunned by the sudden colorful and powerful display, the monster took a step backward…and tripped over Velma. Now squarely on his behind, the girls seized the opportunity and pinned the man just as Shaggy and Scooby hit the ground with a thud.

"Wow. That was, like, an awesome light show, Daph." Shaggy smiled. "I give it two thumbs up!" he and Scooby both held two thumbs up for her.

"Light show?" She asked, thoroughly confused. She hadn't seen any light shows!

"Get her away!" The now unmasked crook said as sirens sounded outside. "Get her away from me!"

"Oh chill out! There's a nice comfy jail cell with your name on it." The redhead pointed out as the cops entered.

"Still, that was pure genius, Daphne." Velma praised. "I didn't know you had luminescent fibers woven into your clothes for tonight."

"I didn't." Daphne blinked. "What are you all going on about?"

"Daph, when you got mad at him, this purple light shone all around you." Fred said, looking at her strangely. "You mean you didn't plan it?"

"No, guys. I have no idea where it came from." She shook her head. "Kind of like those dreams. It's starting to freak me out!"

"Let's go somewhere else and talk about this." Velma said. "It looks like we already have another mystery on our hands."

* * *

"Now, what is this about strange dreams?" Fred asked. The four teens and the dog were now seated in a local diner.

Daphne let out a sigh. "They started way back when I turned sixteen. The dreams used to be once every couple months, but now I see them every night." She explained. "They're not really coherent or anything, but it's always the same! I'm in this palace, with a woman who looks just like me and this adorable baby girl. She tells me 'Daphne, take your sister somewhere the Coven can't find her', and then the next thing I know I'm in a fire!"

"Huh." Shaggy blinked. "That's odd all right."

"Reah. Rodd." Scooby nodded in agreement.

"But that's not the end of it." Daphne shook her head. "After the flames, I'm in some kind of fight with these three hideous old women. Witches, I think. One of them encased me in ice. Another drained my strength with darkness. And the last used the power of nature to start to tear me to bits…and then I wake up." She ran a hand through her orange-red hair. "I wish I knew why that dream keeps coming back."

"Maybe it's something you saw in a movie?" Fred suggested. "Watch any scary witch movies lately?"

"No." Daphne answered. "That's not it. Look, I know it sounds crazy, but everything felt real in that dream. And it was all so vivid…I want to say it's a memory, but I can't see how that could be true!" She exclaimed. "I don't have a younger sister. I haven't died. I don't recall ever being trapped in a fire or living in a castle either. But for some reason it always shows up in my dreams."

"That is suspicious." Velma thought. "Daphne, is there anything else about these dreams that could help explain that aura? Maybe even a real life experience?"

"Well, this is going to sound crazy but…there at the end, it felt like I had wings." Daphne said. "But none of it makes any sense! I mean, I know I was adopted as a baby, but I know for a fact that I didn't have wings!"

"I'm going to do some research and see if I can't find anything about mysterious auras." Velma sighed. "In the meantime, I guess you better keep us posted on anything new you see in these dreams."

"Yeah, I guess I will." Daphne looked away as the group began to disperse. "Until then, I guess I'll see you guys around campus."

"Of course!" Fred said. "We're here for you, Daph. If you need anything, give one of us a call."

She smiled back. "I will. Don't worry about me. You all drive safely back home, okay?"

"Like, don't we always?" Shaggy offered his usual goofy grin.

* * *

Back in the comfort of his own dorm room, Shaggy began to ponder the night's events. The air around Daphne tonight had a weird flavor to it, one he couldn't identify at first. When the lights first appeared, he thought it was just a fancy trick, but now…he was almost positive that it was magic.

The rest of the gang wasn't aware of it, but magic and magical creatures did exist in this world of theirs, and not just in his over-active imagination. Over the last summer, he'd been turned into a temporary werewolf by Dracula and his for-hire witches and then recruited to teach at a finishing school for female ghouls run by a genial old witch named Miss Grimwood. And due to these experiences in the magical underworld (mostly the werewolf thing, though), he'd developed a higher sensitivity to it than most mere mortals.

If you got close enough to a magical being, you could get a 'feel' or sometimes 'smell' for what their magic was like. The Witch Sisters that Dracula hired used magic that bore a rather pungent clove-laden odor to it and was cold when it crept past you, while Revolta's concoctions smelled more like rotting eggs and gave off an uneasy electric jolt when used in close proximity. Miss Grimwood's magic smelled like roses and felt warm and comforting. And Daphne…Daphne's felt like calm ocean waves and smelled about the same.

Did that make Daphne a witch? A monster?

Rrrrrrrrumbllllle.

"All this thinking is sure making me hungry." The boy sighed. "Guess I'll get a late night snack and think some more on this in the morning. I wonder if maybe she could help…" It couldn't hurt to ask, could it? Even if it meant having to admit to keeping secrets, if it could help get to the root of Daphne's mysterious origins, it was well worth a shot.

Yep. First thing in the morning, he would be making a call to an old employer.


	3. At the Beginning

**A/N:**** For reference, I'm going to be tweaking the ages of the three oldest Grimwood girls slightly, mainly because I don't quite agree with the age assessment Wikipedia gave to them (Especially Sibella, who acts and dresses way more mature than a 12-year-old). I'm also changing the names of the three new ones (since I never found an accurate source for their names, and I don't think a Martian girl would have a name so plain as 'Mary'). Also introducing an original (minor) character. With that in mind, here's the next chapter of…**

**In Plain Sight**

**Chapter 3: At the Beginning**

Daphne was thoroughly shocked that Shaggy was the one with the first lead in this mystery. Normally, Velma and Freddy found the clues, and Shaggy and Scooby acted as live bait. This time, however, Shaggy had taken the initiative and apparently found a real-live, totally authentic witch.

"I'm telling you, Daphne, if Miss Grimwood can't figure out what's going on, I don't know who can!" The thin boy said excitedly.

"And how did you find her?" Daphne asked. "Velma's usually the one doing the research…"

"Not with this stuff, she isn't." Shaggy waved. "She doesn't have the inside information I do."

"That still doesn't explain how you know her." The redhead pointed out.

"Easy. She's the headmistress at that boarding school I worked at over the summer." Shaggy smiled broadly. "The Grimwood Finishing School for Ghouls!"

"I think it's supposed to be 'girls', Shaggy."

"Not according to the sign out front." He shook his head. "The daughters of all your most famous movie monsters go to school there. Sibella Dracula, Elsa Frankenteen, Tanis the Mummy…"

Daphne's eyes threatened to bulge free of her skull. "And you never _told_ us this?"

"Like, would you have believed me?" The boy asked.

"Well, no. Probably not."

"That's why. There's actually more to the story, but I'll explain that on the drive up to the school tomorrow."

"What more could there possibly be to explain?"

"Oh, you'll find out." He said cryptically. "Now get packing. I don't know if we'll wind up staying the night at the school or driving back to Coolsville tomorrow."

* * *

The following morning, Shaggy, Scooby, and Daphne all loaded up in Shaggy's red van and set out for the Grimwood Ghoul School. Scooby was cautiously eager to see his girls again, while Daphne kept pestering Shaggy to tell her just what he had been so enigmatic about the afternoon before.

Once they got out on the main highway, Shaggy finally caved and launched into a tale of last summer's events. "Not long after classes ended, I tried to make it big racing cars, with Scooby and Scrappy as my pit crew. Little did I know I'd wind up on Dracula's monster list! Apparently, the wolf-man (Winnie's father) had retired from being a full-time spook and moved to Florida with most of his pack just before one of their big monster gatherings. They wanted a full group of ghouls, so they started researching who would become the new werewolf. According to the monster records, I was next in line to take his place."

"So…they turned you into a werewolf?" Daphne gasped. "But, we've never seen you change…"

"Hang on, I'm getting to that." He waved. "Anyway, they finally got around to changing me so that they'd have full group of monsters for the Monster Car Rally race they have every year. Unfortunately, they did it while Googey and I were at a drive-in movie on a date." He winced. "Two of Dracula's minions captured Scooby, Scrappy, Googey, and me, and drug us to Transylvania for the race. We managed to make a deal that if I won the race, I would get my humanity back."

"So you beat Dracula in a race?" Daphne said eyes wide. "That's incredible!"

"Yeah, but that's not quite all of it." The beatnik sighed. "I got to talk with Winnie's dad when I was teaching at Grimwood's, and what he said…" A shudder passed over the lanky adolescent. "Apparently it's not just a magic thing that gets you selected as a werewolf. It's in your blood too, and even though I can't change anymore, I can still sense magic." He looked poignantly at the redhead riding shotgun. "And I sensed yours the other night, Daph. It's strong, whatever it is, but it didn't feel dark or evil."

Daphne's blue-green eyes focused intently on her new lavender pumps. Magic? She had magic? How could that be possible? She didn't dabble in the dark arts or casually glance through spell books in her spare time. "So…what is this?" She said out loud, tears threatening to start leaking down her face. "What's going on with me?"

A whine sounded from the back seat as Scooby-Doo padded over to the girl, regarding her with big, understanding brown eyes. Her left hand reached up and began petting the top of his forehead as Shaggy let out a sigh.

"I don't know, Daphne, but this is why we're going to the school. Someone there has got to be able to figure this out."

* * *

Contrary to her youthful, spunky personality, Tryphena Grimwood was an old witch. Her continued use of magic ensured that, although she was well over 80, she only looked about half her age. She had seen a lot of things in her lifetime: some happy, and many sad. One of the saddest was the day that the Earth Fairies were sealed away along with the planet's supply of "light" magic.

The evil wizards who did this attempted to take over the council of ghoul elders, but proved no match for the 10,000 years of collective experience the old spooks possessed. Thutmos, the undead Pharaoh and one of the strongest mages on the council, deflected all of Ogron's attacks with one blow, and Anagan's mystic speed proved no match for Dracula's tracking and the Phantom's ability to pass through solid objects. Though bleeding, the wizards left alive and hadn't been seen for the better part of the last two decades.

Now, she worried that this Daphne girl might bring them out of hiding.

The cocky but powerful young wizards had matured a lot over the last twenty years, learning from Revolta's failed attempt that trying to get to the reigning council through their daughters was a bad idea (though she kept a magic barrier around the school—just in case). They also weren't dumb enough to try to hunt down Thorn, lead singer for the rock band The Hex Girls and a powerful Wiccan in her own right. She suspected that had to do with the fact that she was a public figure that would attract unwanted attention. However, this Daphne…she was free game.

And scented magic? Typically, only someone skilled in fairy magic could do that. Was it possible that she was one who had survived the Faye Holocaust?

From the moment Shaggy's van pulled up to the drawbridge, she knew what she was dealing with. She could sense it as plainly as she saw sunlight. This girl was indeed one of the few (possibly the only) lucky enough to have not shown active magic at the time Queen Morgana was cast down and locked away with her people. She also had great power…but, she saw plainly as the girl stepped out, no wings. At least, not yet. They would fix that, given a few days of practice.

"Shaggy, it's so good to see you again!" She walked up to the lanky young man as he got out of the van. "And Scooby too." She looked kindly to the Great Dane bounding out of the sliding door.

"Same here." Shaggy smiled broadly as Scooby nodded along.

"Reah! Reah!"

"And you must be Daphne." The dark-haired woman said, looking the redheaded girl up and down. Orange-red hair…that was an odd color for one of the Earth fairies. Most of their hair color ranged from brown to black, with a few errant shades of blue or burgundy in between. Occasionally, you'd find one with blonde or pink hair, but never that fiery red. That was a Celtic color, and the Celtic fairies left the planet centuries ago to settle colonies on other realms. Most of those remaining were of Germanic origin, with a few Italian, Spanish, and the ever-occasional Welsh thrown into the mix. Granted, they still occupied the same island off the coast of the British Isles, but virtually none of the indigenous Celtic Faye remained, and any of those would have been sealed away in the Ring.

So where had this one come from?

"Yes." Daphne nodded nervously, sensing the sheer _power_ coming from the older woman. What had she just walked into? "I'm Daphne Blake"

"Well, Miss Blake, I hope you can clear out your schedule." Grimwood said plainly. "Because for the next few weeks, you'll be learning to channel the magic within you."

"Huh?" She blinked, glancing briefly at Shaggy. "I thought there was some kind of tests I had to go through…"

"Not when the answer is so plain, my dear." The petite witch replied kindly. "Miss Blake, you are the first of your kind that has come to this school in twenty years! Fairies are all but extinct in this realm."

"Fairy?" The girl blinked incredulously, pointing a finger at her own chest. "I'm a fairy?"

"Yes, and quite a strong one at that. Or you will be once I'm through with you." The dark headed woman waved. "You're a bit of a late bloomer, but I don't think that will hinder us in the slightest."

"Through with me?" Daphne asked, eyes wide with fear. "What…What are you going to do to me? How long will I have to stay?"

"Until you have gained your wings at least." Miss Grimwood chuckled. "Maybe a bit longer. You must learn to fly before I could in good conscience let you go."

Daphne's mind swam, trying its best to make sense of this new information. She was a ghoul? A fairy, even? And she would need to train in magic? Real-live magic? It was all too much for Daphne to comprehend at the moment. She managed a stiff nod to the elder woman, but said nothing.

Sensing her mental breakdown, Shaggy decided to find a new topic of conversation. "Like, where are the girls at?" He asked. "I don't see them anywhere."

"Oh, they're in their classes, at the moment. Tanis, Elsa, and Sibella are all in the potionology lab; Winnie, Yuki, and Laguna are in P.E., and Phantasma and Maeryn, and Callista—she's Sibella's younger sister-are in their music class."

That drew Daphne's attention back to the school. "Only nine students? I thought for sure there would be more of them in a place like this."

"Well, many ghouls choose to home-school their young ones, and a good portion of their children are male." Grimwood said, motioning for the trio to follow her into the school. "Winnie, for instance, is the runt of her litter of four, with the other three being boys. Alas, that is why trying to make a lady out of her has been such a great challenge." The woman sighed, opening the front door. "She's not encouraged to be ladylike at home, so when she first came here she was rather feral. She still is, to an extent, but she has calmed down considerably."

"Winnie was the werewolf girl…right?" Daphne asked, glancing briefly at Shaggy and Scooby.

"Reah. Rolf." Scooby answered as a dog-sized green dragon padded up to them. Daphne froze in fright, while Shaggy laughed and Scooby wagged his tail excitedly. "Ratches!"

"Huh?" She blinked.

"Like, that's Matches, Miss Grimwood's pet dragon." Shaggy chuckled.

"Don't worry, my dear, he's quite tame." The headmistress reassured the girl. "Now, this class rotation still has about ten or fifteen minutes left, so why don't we go to my office and fill out your paperwork?"

"Okay." Daphne nodded weakly.

"Like, don't be so tense, Daph." Shaggy smiled. "She won't bite."

* * *

Daphne had never been so nervous in her life. She felt like she was signing all her hopes and dreams away by trying to enroll here at the ghoul school. And Freddy and Velma didn't even know what was going on yet. Or her parents for that matter.

Oh, God, her parents! What would they say to this? She'd had a rather religious upbringing, and magic (outside the party magicians who pulled rabbits out of hats) was a forbidden thing in their household. What would they do, knowing that their daughter could channel magic?

Not like there was much to be done about it, though. She needed help, and this school seemed to be the only place that could give it to her.

"It's not the end of the world, my dear." Daphne looked up to see Miss Grimwood glancing at her with kind eyes. "It's a new beginning. A new chapter in your existence."

"It certainly doesn't feel that way." She sighed. "I just don't know…"

"Give it time, child." The older woman soothed. "You're coming from the world of the mortal and into the world of magic. It's a difficult transition at first, but one I am confident you will be able to pass through."

"I'm just worried about being so far behind!" Daphne admitted. "All of these other girls are going to be a lot younger than I am."

"Ghouls have a slightly different educational structure than you humans do." Grimwood said. "Since they live so much longer, it's not at all uncommon for girls to stay at an academy like this until they reach the age of twenty-five so that they have a fuller grasp on their basic subjects before moving on to a higher learning institution."

"Really?" Daphne blinked. She hadn't been aware of that. "How old is the oldest student here?"

"After you, that would actually be Sibella." Grimwood stated. "She doesn't so much look it, but she is fifteen. Elsa is a few months younger."

"Huh." The redhead sighed. Fifteen was still four years younger than she was. "So I'm still the old maid."

"Now, don't think like that! I'm sure they'll be happy to have someone with so much life experience in the outside world come to the school." The raven haired woman chided. "Very few of the girls have ever been out into the nearby town, let alone travelled quite like you and Mr. Rogers have."

"Yeah, we have had our share of adventures." The girl replied. "But seriously? They don't ever go on vacation?"

"I think you'll understand once you meet them." the elder woman stated. "Speaking of which, they should be just about finished with this class rotation. Why don't you go down into the sitting room with Mr. Rogers and Mr. Doo, and I'll call the girls in for an introduction."

"Sounds lovely." Daphne responded, feeling more than a little apprehensive.

* * *

The sitting room consisted of an enchanted armchair, cobweb-infested sofa, and dusty coffee table. Tattered drapes hung over the large peaked windows, blocking out most of the natural light. It was a spooky room, to be sure, and that was doing nothing to calm Daphne's nerves.

She absently wondered just what these girls would look like. Shaggy's rather vague descriptions of "ghost", "mummy", and "werewolf" left something to be desired. She understood that Sibella and Callista were not only vampires, but sisters as well. Elsa was about the same age as Sibella, and Tanis and Callista were the youngest. But that was the extent of what she knew, and her curiosity was starting to get the better of her. She wanted to tiptoe out of the room and spy on one of the classes, if only to catch a glimpse of these girl ghouls.

A high-pitched squeaking sounded as two bats flew into the room, one purple with little red feet, and the other smaller and golden with little black feet. "Well, jeepers!" Daphne froze, looking worriedly at the two creatures. "I didn't realize they kept pet bats here!"

"Oh, we're not pets!" A Transylvanian-accented voice stated confidently. In two puffs of smoke, the bats vanished and two girls appeared in their places. The older of the two had long purple hair, light purple skin, and green eyes. She wore a dark purple v-neck dress with a red belt across her waist and a pair of red shoes. The younger girl had the same pale purple complexion, but her hair was a metallic golden blonde and her eyes a crystalline blue. She wore a simple white button-up shirt, black vest, black skirt, and black shoes.

"Oh!" Daphne gasped. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize…"

"Don't be so worried." The older girl (and the source of the earlier voice) waved. "Nobody ever seems to warn the visitors around here to be on the lookout for flying bat-people. I'm Sibella Dracula, and this is my younger sister Callista."

Callista offered a shy wave, trying to use her sister as a protective shield.

"You've got that right." Daphne shook her head. "I'm Daphne Blake." She looked from Sibella to Callista and back again. For siblings, they certainly didn't look a whole lot alike.

Sibella noticed. "We're not sure where the blond hair came from, either. Both of our parents have dark hair." She shrugged. "Although Daddy says that one of his aunts was blond…"

"I guess it doesn't matter." Daphne said as a few more figures entered the room. "Family is family. Mine just happen to all look alike."

"Oooh, Winnie! We need to let her teach you how to do your hair!" A high-pitched, airy voice laughed merrily. Daphne looked over to see a tall transparent girl with white hair floating effortlessly off the ground. She wore a blue dress and white boots. Next to her was a frowning furry kid with a mess of curly red-orange hair and a torn dark blue dress…and no shoes.

"Ha ha, Phanty." The she-wolf grumbled, glancing from the floating teen to Daphne. "She don't look like much of a ghoul to me."

"Miss Grimwood said she was." 'Phanty' stated. "That's good enough for me!"

"Oh, she is." Sibella smirked. "I can sense the magic from here. Now, are you two going to continue talking about her like she's not here, or introduce yourselves?"

"Oh! Where are my manners?" The ghastly girl exclaimed. "I'm Phantasma, and grumpy Gus over there is Winnie."

"I'm not grumpy!" Winnie growled.

"Phanty…" Sibella warned.

"Oh, come on, Bella! She's the most fashionable student we've ever had!"

"Stop antagonizing Winnie." The older ghoul stated. "You can't fault her for being suspicious, and isn't she a little young to be worrying about fashion yet? She's not even out of primary classes yet!"

"Thanks…I think." The young werewolf said slowly.

"Oh. You're no fun." Phantasma grumbled. As two more young ghouls walked in. One of them was covered in orange scales and wore a plain brown dress. The other was slightly shorter with purple skin and red-violet hair, and donned a space suit complete with bubble helmet.

"She does not look like the other ghouls." The small one in the space suit stated as she looked up at Daphne.

"Miss Grimwood said I haven't fully transformed yet." Daphne looked down at her shoes. "Apparently I'm going to grow wings…"

"That'll be so cool!" The orange-skinned one said in a slow, but excited voice. "Then you can fly like Bella and Callie."

"Well, not _exactly_ like us, Laguna." Sibella smiled. "She won't need to become a bat to do it."

"Laguna." Daphne said, looking at the orange-skinned girl. "That's a very pretty name."

"Thank you." Laguna smiled, revealing an array of sharp teeth.

"And I am Maeryn." The girl in the space suit said serenely. "I hail from the planet M'krall."

"Very nice to meet you too, Maeryn." Daphne nodded as three more students entered, along with Shaggy and Scooby-Doo. One was a large white lizard-creature with black ridge-like scales down her back and wearing a pink tutu and matching bow on her head. The second, and tallest of the group, was a lanky girl with white-streaked black hair that stuck straight up in the air by about a foot. She had stitches on her skin, bolts in her neck, and wore a green dress with a blue sash. The last was a small girl wrapped in bandages, so that the bandages formed a little dress for her. She had blue eyes and a pink bow in her head-bandages, giving the trailing ends the appearance of a ponytail.

"And, like, there she is now!" Shaggy smiled as the group walked in. "Tanis, Elsa, Yuki, this is my friend Daphne."

"Hi." Daphne waved nervously.

"She has good magic." The mummy-girl said. "It feels nice."

"Whatever you say." The tall girl with tall hair stated.

The lizard-creature walked up to Daphne and bowed politely. "_Konichiwa_, Daphne-sama. I am Yuki." She said in a cultured (if rough) Japanese accent.

The redhead bowed in response. "Hello, Yuki."

"I see that you have been introduced to everyone." Miss Grimwood smiled warmly at the young fairy as she entered the room.

"Yes, ma'am." Daphne nodded nervously.

"Well, then I imagine you will all get to know each other a little better over dinner tonight." The witch stated. "Sibella, would you mind showing Miss Blake to her room?"

"Of course, Miss Grimwood." The purple-haired vampire nodded respectfully, looking kindly at Daphne. "Now, where did you leave your things?"

The Students' rooms at the Grimwood Finishing School for Girl (Ghouls) looked to be in much the same state of dusty unused as the rest of the building. Daphne looked fearfully at the bed (which had a good 2-inch thick layer of dust and cobwebs on it) as she set her bags on the floor. "Jeepers. Has no one ever thought to hire a maid?"

Sibella chuckled in response. "Most of the remaining ghouls are creatures of night and shadow." She explained. "This feels homey to them, believe it or not."

"And what about you?" Daphne inquired. Of all the students she'd met today, Sibella was the only one who showed any level of concern about how she looked, going so far as to put on lipstick and eyeliner. "Is your room like this?"

"Certainly not!" The teen put her hands on her hips. "I'm vampire royalty, dear. My room can't be in _any_ state of disrepair. At least, that's what mother told me."

"Looks like I may need your help scrubbing this place down, then." Daphne frowned, not liking the idea of ruining her manicure. But, it would need to be done. The place looked like no one had used it in about twenty years.

"Oh, you won't need to do that!" Sibella waved. "Miss Grimwood has a charm on the room that allows it to reflect the personality of the ghoul it inhabits. Of course it didn't work so well for Coach Shaggy, since he wasn't _technically_ a ghoul when he taught here…but by dinner time, this room will look totally different!"

"If not it's, you just volunteered to wash the sheets." The aqua-eyed young woman folded her arms.

"Fine by me." The younger ghoul shrugged. "You know, I wish we had more students like you here. So far, Callista, Maeryn, and I are the only ones with clean rooms."

"What about Yuki?"

"No cobwebs, but looks like a tornado went through it. And has the peculiar odor of fish."

"Remind me not to go in there."

"You're not the one with the sensitive nose." Sibella pointed out.

"…you have a point." Daphne conceded.

**Just a note on the names…**

"**Yuki" is a Japanese name meaning "Snow". Which fits, since she has white scales. What? You thought I was going to name her "Godzina" like everyone else? I think not!**

"**Maeryn" is a created name made by mashing "Mary" and "Taryn" together. Again, sounds much more outer-spacey than Mary. **

**Laguna should be self-explanatory…**

**Callista is a created character of mine. I wanted to make the numbers even once Daphne enrolled, but since I'm not going to have Velma enroll, this was the alternative. **


	4. Find Your Wings

**A/N:**** Yes, I gave Faragonda a first name. And no, it's not Glinda (although the thought did cross my mind). In this universe, her first name is Valeria (literally meaning "valor"). And, keep in mind, this is a 'what if?' AU. **

**In Plain Sight**

**4. Find Your Wings**

Daphne swallowed nervously, looking out over the edge of the platform she was now standing atop. It was her first full day at the Grimwood Finishing School for Girl Ghouls, and Miss Grimwood wanted to waste no time in getting the young woman to fly. While the other (younger) students were inside for their first class rotation, the wingless (for now) fairy was outside alone with the headmistress. "Are you sure this is safe?" She asked hesitantly. The short woman (who looked even smaller than usual) below her waved off her concerns.

"Of course, child!" Miss Grimwood stated. "You've already shown signs of magic, but it has not fully manifested yet. The best way I've found to get that to happen, for a fairy at least, is to trigger your own natural fight or flight response. If you are in danger of plummeting to certain injury, your magic will activate and your wings will appear and keep you in the air."

"And if it doesn't work?" The redhead asked.

"There has never been a case where it hasn't yet, my dear." The dark-haired witch replied. "But I will have my own magic keep you aloft if yours does not activate in time."

"That's reassuring." The young woman gulped.

"Don't be afraid." Grimwood said. "Now, either you jump on your own, or I will push you off."

'How can I turn down such a wonderful offer?' Daphne thought to herself, taking a couple of steps back…, then running, and leaping into a swan dive off the three-story-high platform.

The ground rushed to meet her with alarming speed, and every fiber of her being screamed for her to stop and turn back despite the fact that such a feat was now physically impossible. Her eyes squeezed shut as she plummeted downward, now being only a few seconds from injury. At least, that's what should have happened. She felt the familiar tingling sensation—the feeling that had come over her when Velma had been in trouble and she'd first tapped her powers at the warehouse—and to her surprise, she felt her decent stop and her body straighten out. An unseen force propelled her forward instead of downward.

"Well done, Miss Blake!" She heard Miss Grimwood cheer her on as she opened her eyes and turned so that she was now standing on air. Glancing behind her, she realized that she had sprouted a pair of dainty butterfly-like wings from her back. The redhead also noted, much to her surprise, that her wardrobe had also changed…and not into something she would have chosen to wear for today's exercise. Honestly, who in their right mind would wear a dress to practice flying? She'd worn pants today for just that reason!

Lavender mesh 'sleeves' helped keep the violet and lavender bubble dress from falling to the ground. Strips of darker purple framed the lavender glittery fabric into tiny rectangles, but all traces of that lavender color disappeared in the darker purple skirt. A lime green satin belt cinched around her waist, serving as a line of demarcation between the top and skirt while also perfectly matching the lime green stiletto shoes now wrapped around her ankles.

"What happened to my clothes?" The newly transformed girl squeaked.

"They will return once you power down." Miss Grimwood assured her. "And since we have already established that you are, most likely, a water fairy, you can begin learning to channel your energy without having to transform like this."

"…And what about my wings?" Daphne asked, using her newfound wings to daintily land on the ground.

"Those will vanish as well. But now that you have transformed once, it will be easier to access your base fairy form should you need to."

Daphne blinked at the older woman's words. "_Base_ form?" She asked cautiously.

"Yes, dear." Grimwood smiled. "Fairies typically have two generic forms that span across all the known realms- First-stage fairy form, and Enchantix. However, several realms also have their own unique transformations. On Andros, a fairy might gain the ability to turn herself into a mermaid. Here on Earth, you gain Believix by convincing someone to believe in magic."

"Wow." The redhead said, feeling the tingling sensation return. Sure enough, her fairy form vanished, and she was back in her traditional purple garb. "I can't believe no one else knows about all this stuff."

"Many years ago, they did." The older woman said, bidding the girl to follow her into the school. "Earth had fairies, once. But about sixteen years ago, that all changed. A group of evil wizards locked them away inside a pocket dimension. The Ghoul Elders would have gone to free them if the Wizards of the Black Circle hadn't taken the key with them. After trapping the fairies, the wizards attempted to overrun the council."

"How close did they get?" Daphne asked. Obviously it hadn't worked too well, since Dracula was still in charge.

"Not even." Grimwood chuckled. "These wizards were young, impatient, and poorly trained. Thutmos, Dracula, and a few of the council witches sent them running away bleeding and wearing only their underwear. Since then, they have refrained from messing with the council."

"What about these other realms you keep talking about?"

"Oh, they're much safer than ours. Well, all except for one. Domino fell at about the same time the fairies were sealed away. I believe the Whisperian Coven- the witches who destroyed Domino- wanted to keep the Earth fairies from interfering and asked the wizards to dispose of them. But the Coven was sealed away in Obsidian, and the wizards, left to their own devices, have since drained every source of light magic on the planet. Except for yours, it seems." The witch gave the young Faye a look. "This afternoon I'm going to attempt to put a call in to a dear friend of mine in the realm of Magix. She runs a school exclusively for fairies, and may have some more up-to-date information about training techniques."

Daphne nodded along. "Do you think I'll ever get to see these other realms, Miss Grimwood?"

"Of course, dear." The dark-haired headmistress smiled warmly. "Just have some faith. One day, I believe you and our other young students will be the ones to open trade relation with the other realms again. But you all must believe it is possible first."

* * *

Headmistress Valeria Faragonda was pleasantly surprised when a chat line was requested for her by an old friend. She hadn't spoken to Tryphena in almost two decades. Not since Morgana and her kingdom was locked away. She'd often thought of calling the Earthling up, especially since Bloom Peters joined the ranks of the Alfea student body.

Bloom Peters was a girl that Princess Stella of Solaria picked up during a forced detour away from Magix a little over four years ago. After a battery of tests, a vision from the Great Dragon, and a coven of power-hungry witches trying to steal her power, it became clear that this 'Bloom' was the last daughter of Domino. Granted, Miriam hadn't named the child 'Bloom'. The former queen much preferred 'traditional' names. No, her two girls were named Dafne and Helena, but when Bloom's foster parents found her in a burning building, her new mother (the owner of a flower shop) decided to name her Bloom instead, since the infant was too young to know her real name.

In a last ditch effort to save her sister's life, Dafne placed the infant on Earth, in a burning building where the Dragon Flame would keep her protected and someone was sure to find the child and raise her as their own. Sadly, nothing had been seen or heard of from Dafne since that day. Domino was brought out of its 'eternal' winter during the early part of spring through the efforts of the Winx Club and King Sky of Eraklyon, but still no sign of what may have befallen Crown Princess Dafne.

This brought her back to the phone call.

"Tryphena." Faragonda smiled warmly. The dark-haired witch hadn't changed a bit. "It has been a long time."

"It has. Too long, I'm afraid." The other woman smiled. "But I bring good news this time."

"What sort of news?" Faragonda asked. "Has the key been found?"

"Sadly, not yet. The wizards remain ever in hiding." Grimwood frowned. "But all hope is not lost. It seems they missed one when they were rounding up Morgana's people."

"A fairy on Earth?" Faragonda blinked, not daring to believe it. "Are you sure?"

"Positive." Grimwood stated. "She transformed for the first time this morning. Her magical signature leads me to suspect she is some sort of Water or Oceanic Fairy, but I don't have the equipment for a full battery of tests."

Water fairy? Wait… Dafne had been the Fairy of the Water Stars. Could it be…? "What is this girl like?"

"Old, for a fist timer." Grimwood waved. "Around nineteen, I suspect. The most peculiar thing, though. She looks like a Celtic Faye. Red hair and all. But no freckles."

Faragonda froze. "Eye color?"

"Blue-green." Faragonda sighed. It definitely sounded like their missing princess.

"I take it you are training the girl?"

"As best I can." Tryphena said. "Valeria, you of all people should know that most of my students are non-magical. I've only got one that's comparatively close to her level, and that one is a vampire four years her junior. I can keep the girl safe here, but I would appreciate it if you would send someone to help train her. She has great power; far greater than she realizes."

Valeria smiled. "I just so happen to have a group of student teachers hankering for something to do."

"Wonderful!" Tryphena smiled. "I'm sure Miss Blake will enjoy learning from someone her own age."

"Out of curiosity," Valeria asked, "what is her given name?"

A broad grin appeared on Tryphena Grimwood's face. Apparently she'd cottoned onto what the white-haired woman had been thinking. "Her name is Daphne."

* * *

Fred Jones and Velma Dinkley weren't sure what to make of Shaggy and Daphne's road trip the day before, but now that neither could seem to get in touch with their friends, they began to worry.

"Where could they have gone?" the brunette woman asked. The pair had checked up on both the missing teens' families, with no solid answers to show for their efforts. "It's not like them to vanish."

"Yeah, and Daph usually texts right back." Fred frowned. "Something's not right here."

"I agree." Velma nodded. "Do you have any idea where Shaggy might have gone?"

"Well, sometimes he'd let slip about that school he worked at over the summer…" The blond boy scratched the back of his head. "Glumwood or something like it."

"I'll look it up." Velma said, pulling out her blackberry and starting an internet search. "It says there's no such place as 'glumwood'."

"It started with G and ended with 'wood'." Fred defended himself. "Could be Gloomwood, Grainwood, or…"

"Grimwood!" Velma exclaimed, waving the phone in his face excitedly. "It's an all-girls' school about half a day's drive from here."

"Then I guess we better pack our bags tonight." Fred replied, a determined twinkle illuminating his blue eyes. "We've got another mystery on our hands!"

* * *

Layla-Aisha, Tecna, and Flora entered the headmistress's office with mixed emotions. For the life of them, they just couldn't figure out why Miss Faragonda wanted to see them. They hadn't done anything to get in trouble as of late…

"Ah, good, you're here." The white-haired woman exclaimed upon their entry into her office.

"But why are we here?" Aisha asked.

"I have a very special assignment for the three of you." The elder fairy replied. "One requiring your particular skill sets."

"What kind of assignment?" Flora inquired, genuinely curious as to why they'd been selected.

"A fairy with water-type powers has been discovered on Earth." Miss Faragonda said bluntly. "A colleague of mine, Tryphena Grimwood, is doing what she can to help her at her 'ghoul' school, but I'm afraid they simply aren't equipped to run diagnostics on her magical signature for any further information. There haven't been any Faye sightings on Earth for nearly twenty years now. With that in mind, I am sending you three to the school to help train Miss Blake and a mage student—a Miss Dracula—while also upgrading their equipment as best you can."

"You can count on us, Miss F." Aisha nodded.

"But why not Bloom?" Tecna asked the question that all three girls were thinking of. "She was raised on that planet."

"And her new duties both here and on Domino keep her from having the time." Faragonda explained. "Besides, you will be living with native Earthlings. They will teach you all you need to know. Now, go pack your bags. You will arrive in the morning."

The three student teachers nodded respectfully, and left to prepare for the trip ahead of them.


	5. What Is This Feeling?

**In Plain Sight**

**5. What is this feeling?**

"Surely this can't be the place." Layla-Aisha, princess of the realm of Andros, peered through the iron gates at the creepy house that dared call itself a school for ghouls. "It doesn't look like any finishing school I've ever seen."

"The directions I uploaded don't lie." Tecna of Zenith pointed out. "This is indeed the school."

"Everything looks so _dead_." Flora of Linphea shuddered as the gates swung open of their own accord and the drawbridge over the moat lowered itself to allow them passage. "Not at all like that nice military school we passed a while ago."

"This is a school for things other than fairies, you know." Tecna stated, punching in a few commands on her realmberry. "In fact, most students here are non-magical. Just monsters."

"And there is a fairy here _why_, again?" Layla rolled her eyes.

"Because this is currently the _only_ functioning campus for magical beings on the entire planet." A prim and proper voice greeted them. All three fairies looked ahead and saw a short, black-haired woman in a pink dress walking toward them. "We are fortunate that Mr. Rogers brought Miss Blake to us when he did. Any longer, and the Wizards might have tried to seal her away."

"You must be Headmistress Grimwood." Flora replied, taking in the older woman's appearance. Her magical aura felt much older and stronger than the petite woman appeared to be.

"I am indeed." Grimwood smiled. "Flora, Tecna, and Layla-Aisha, I presume?"

"Just call me Layla. It keeps things simpler." Layla stated.

"As you wish, Miss Layla." The witch nodded. "Well, ladies don't just stand there! Come inside. We have much to discuss."

The three fairies glanced warily at the house, and then each other, before following the small witch indoors.

* * *

The students of Miss Grimwood's Finishing School for Girls all knew something was going on. Three new girls were standing around the headmistress at the breakfast table, and while the young women appeared normal, the unmistakable feel of magic filled the room.

"They're strong." Sibella whispered to Daphne, who was sitting on her left side. "Very strong. Do you feel it?"

The redhead nodded. "Yes, I do." She whispered, trying to stare unobtrusively at the three other women. "Fairies or witches?"

Sibella pursed her lips a moment. "Fairies. Definitely fairies." The vampiress answered. "Their magic feels like glitter in the air, the same way yours does. Witch magic is more like a fog." She added as an afterthought.

That had Daphne's attention. Three fairies? Here? Whatever for…?

"Girls!" Miss Grimwood said loudly enough to be heard, but not loud enough to be considered yelling. All murmuring died instantly. "I would like to introduce to you three very special new student-teachers sent over from the realm of Magix. Flora, Tecna, and Layla-Aisha are guardian fairies of their native worlds, but have graciously volunteered to come here for a while to learn more about Earth and what magic still resides here. I expect all of you to be on your best behavior for them."

A chorus of "Yes, Miss Grimwood." Sounded in response.

Shaggy, meanwhile, was waiting patiently to be introduced. Last night, Grimwood informed him that one of the new student teachers would be helping him with PE, but he wasn't sure exactly which one had been chosen.

Not that he didn't have his suspicions, mind you. The purple-haired one reminded him of Velma in a way, and since Velma was more of a bookworm and tech-geek, he doubted this girl would have volunteered to teach physical education. The tanned woman with light brown hair seemed to have a motherly quality about her and smelled like flowers. Great for something like home economics, maybe even etiquette, but the kids would run all over her in his class. That left the mocha-skinned woman with curly brown hair as his new assistant.

"Mr. Rogers?" Ms. Grimwood asked, getting his attention. "This is Princess Layla-Aisha of Andros. Layla, this is Shaggy Rogers. He's going to be one of the Physical Education teachers while he and Daphne are here."

"Nice to meet you, Layla." Shaggy nodded. "Can't wait to start working with you."

"Reah! Reah!" Scooby nodded emphatically, causing the aqua-eyed fairy to smile.

"And Scooby's looking forward to it, too." He added.

"As am I." the brunette woman nodded politely, taking the seat next to him. "So, you're the one who found Daphne and brought her here?" He nodded an affirmative. "How did you know she was a fairy? I thought Earthlings couldn't sense magic."

"Most can't, but I'm not most people." He pointed out. "I had an encounter with it a year or so back, and since then I've been really sensitive to it. I didn't know what was going on with Daphne when I brought her here, but I knew I sensed magic from her and it wasn't the dark, creepy kind of magic. Actually, her magic kinda feels and smells like yours now that I think about it…" he trailed off, earning a curious stare.

"Smells?"

"Yeah… that run-in I had with it left me able to smell it. Yours smells like ocean waves. Your friend Flora smells like wildflowers, and Tecna… I'm not sure what that is, but her magic has an electric quality to it." He shrugged. "But that's not the point. The point is that Daphne was freaking out and Ms. Grimwood's the only person I knew that could help her, so I brought her here."

"You must care a lot about her."

"Not that way, but I do care." Shaggy said, correcting the erroneous thoughts before Layla could vocalize them. "Daph and the rest of the gang are like family to me. I couldn't not help family."

A soft smile graced Layla's lips. "I understand. I'd do the same for Flora and Tecna if they were in trouble."

"Like, glad to hear it." The beatnik smiled. "Now, what did you have in mind for our lesson plan?"

* * *

Later in the day, Daphne was feeling pretty good about herself. Her session on power sources with Layla-Aisha had gone better than she expected. She could now say with absolute certainty that she had Water-based magic, and could channel small orbs of it to her fingertips. Magical History and Potionology classes with Sibella had been… well, interesting was the only word she could think of to describe it.

Magical History with Tecna made the pair realize just how far behind their planet was compared to the magical dimension. All they had covered were planet names and trade ties, and already the two felt lost. On the upside, Tecna reminded Daphne a lot of Velma, and made her miss the other two members of Mystery Incorporated slightly less.

Potionology remained one of her worst classes. Chemistry, while fun, had never exactly been her best subject, and potionology was basically chemistry on steroids. Despite sweet, patient Flora's attempts to help, Daphne still managed to completely screw up her attempt at a "basic" energy-boosting potion. Instead of a bright pretty shade of red, her flask turned a sickly green and smoke poured out the top. Elsa, who was also in the class, had moved onto more advanced potions almost immediately. She would have to ask the taller girl for tutoring help tonight, she decided. It was the only way she would be able to pass.

"So…why is Elsa not allowed near the moat?" Daphne asked Phantasma and Sibella while Elsa blushed. As part of P.E. with Layla-Aisha and Shaggy, the girls had gone swimming. Or, most of them had. None of them were allowed in the moat when it was Elsa's turn to dive.

"It's not that she's not allowed near it." Phanty explained. "She just can't be in it at the same time as everyone else."

"I noticed." The redhead stated. "But why is that?"

"I don't sleep like you do." Elsa sighed. "At night, I literally have to re-charge my system. Sometimes, when I get excited or wet, I spark."

"If half of us hadn't already been considered undead, she would have killed us." Sibella added. "This was back in primary school, mind you, and none of us really understood much about Elsa. We went swimming, and got a rather unpleasant shock."

"After that, we were only allowed to swim one at a time." Phanty said.

"Darn shame. You have an awesome cannonball." Daphne complimented the frizzy-haired monster.

"Thanks." The daughter of Frankenstein's monster smiled. "Your swan dive wasn't half-bad either."

"Diving and swimming are hobbies of mine." The wealthy girl admitted. "I've always loved the water, whether I was in it or just near it. Now I understand why."

"I'm sure your sessions with Miss Layla are helping with that." Phanty shrugged. "She seems pretty cool for a tomboy."

"Well, she is a real-life fairy princess. That adds to the cool factor." Elsa pointed out.

"Man, I wish Freddie and Velma were here." Daphne sighed. "They would be totally floored by all of this. Especially Velma; she's always had a secret interest in magic and the occult, despite her protests that it isn't real."

"Somebody's homesick." Phanty teased as Bella took a swipe at her.

"Oh, let her be. I would actually like to meet more of Coach Shaggy's friends."

"Hey, who's that?" Elsa asked, suddenly squinting toward the front gate. A blue and green van was parked at the front gate. Daphne froze.

"Oh no."

"What is it?" Elsa asked.

"They probably just got lost trying to get to Calloway." Phanty shrugged.

"No, they're not lost. Her GPS is never wrong." Daphne realized. "When I said I wanted them to see the place, I didn't mean right this minute…"

"You know that car?" Phanty blinked. The redheaded fairy nodded.

"That's the Mystery Machine. Which means Freddie and Velma are about to get the shock of their lives."


	6. For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic

**In Plain Sight**

**6. For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic**

Velma squinted her eyes, scrutinizing the sign next to the iron gate before the Mystery Machine. If not for the specific directions from her GPS and the vandalized plaque in front of her eyes, she might have thought they were at the wrong place. The spooky, decrepit estate on the other side of the gates certainly didn't look much like a school. Though she had to admit it was in keeping with the locations of many mysteries the gang had solved over the years…

"Oh, the gates must open automatically." Fred commented in surprise as the wrought-iron gates swung open to allow them entry. "And the drawbridge ahead must function the same way."

"Drawbridge?" Velma did a double take. Sure enough, a stout wooden bridge lowered down over a lazy moat, ensuring that the pair could drive straight up to the front door. "What kind of place is this?"

"Can't be as creepy as it looks, or Shaggy wouldn't be smiling and waving at us." The blond man observed. Their beatnik friend waited for them at the front door, grinning like an idiot and waving his lanky arms about.

"He'd better have a good reason for taking Daphne to this place." Velma grumbled. As different as she and the redhead were, the older girl was like a sister to her. The thought of preppy, cheerful Daphne in a place like this made the brunette shudder.

"Like, what are you two doing here?" Shaggy asked as Fred parked the van and Velma climbed out. "I thought you'd be at school."

"We were until Daphne went missing, and you along with her!" Velma griped. "What kind of place is this Shaggy, and why bring her here?"

"You still don't believe, do you?" Shaggy asked, catching the pair off their guard. "The one patch of heavy clouds in a brilliantly sunny day just happens to stay over the top of the school grounds? The old gates with no electronic help automatically open as soon as someone drives up? Daphne making a light show when she gets upset or angry? Come on, Velma, you know you want to believe it."

"In what?" Velma grumbled. "Obviously the gates are operated by magnets and Daphne's glow was a trick of the lights. And the sign out front has obviously been defaced. Ghouls don't exist, just like magic isn't real."

"I wouldn't be so quick to judge that." Both newcomers looked to the front door and saw two women approaching. One was very short and had short black hair restrained by a red scarf, twinkling dark eyes, and wore a pink dress and red high heels. The second was more modern and exotic looking, with teal eyes, magenta hair in an asymmetrical bob, and purple and green attire. "While I work very hard to keep this school's purpose a secret from the townsfolk, I don't feel you are any sort of threat to my girls and as Miss Blake's and Mr. Rogers' friends, you deserve to know the truth."

"And just who are you two?" Fred asked, arms folded across his chest. The two women didn't look very threatening, but one couldn't be too careful when dealing with strangers.

"Like, this is Miss Grimwood, the headmistress here." Shaggy indicated the short older woman. "She's been running the place for thirty years or more. And this is Tecna, one of the new student-teachers helping Daphne through her…adjustment period." The scruffy young man chose his words carefully as he introduced Tecna. "Grimwood's is a school for unusual creatures—both magical and non-magical."

"And your friend Daphne is a very rare magical creature in this realm." Grimwood interrupted. "We haven't had one of her kind pop up in over a decade."

"Provided she's a born native of this planet and not a transfer from another realm like my friend Bloom." Tecna corrected. "We thought she was the first fairy to be found on Earth, only to later discover she was the last heir to Domino instead. Since we know Daphne is adopted, it would be illogical to blindly assume she is from this world until we know more about her and her powers."

Velma, completely taken aback by the logical manner in which Tecna stated her point, blinked twice in utter confusion. "Magic? Fairies? Is this some kind of joke?"

"No, and I can prove it to both of you." Tecna said, a small smile playing on her lips as two more young women approximately her age joined the rest of the front porch group. One was a tall, dark-skinned woman with gray-aqua eyes and wavy brown hair. Her companion had dark blonde/light brown hair with natural highlights running through it, grassy green eyes, and a sun-kissed tan.

"Don't leave us out." The darker skinned woman commented, eyes smiling. In fact, all three women seemed to be in on a joke that the two visitors couldn't understand…yet.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Tecna replied with a smirk. "Now…Tecna Winx Enchantix!"

"Layla Winx Enchantix!"

"Flora Winx Enchantix!"

Blinding lights in hues of purple, green, and pink surrounded the three women in an instant, temporarily hiding their forms from view. When the lights faded, all three had undergone complete transformations.

Tecna's hair became noticeably longer in back and on the left (shorter-cut) side, and faint lavender eyeshadow appeared on her eyelids. A purple tube-top and matching pair of short-shorts were held together by a pair of v-shaped overlays—electric green on top and a darker purple on bottom—that connected with each other at her navel. Sandals made entirely of intertwining purple cords adorned her feet, lavender sparkly gloves reached up her arms, and a large set of purple-shaded wings (seemingly comprised of three pairs of rectangles laid one on top of the other) sprouted from her back.

Layla's brown hair grew longer with two sections held back in pigtails and a tiara-like headband keeping the soft waves from falling into her face. A pale green tube-top with an ocean-blue overlay resembling strips of seaweed covered her breasts, while a short green, pink, and blue striped skirt tastefully draped across her hips like a sarong. Green sandals similar to Tecna's graced her feet, and gold sparkled gloves reached almost to her shoulders. A set of large, beautiful green and pink wings—again comprised of three different pairs of smaller wings—fluttered softly, keeping her in the air.

Like the two other women with her, Flora's hair grew longer when she transformed. Two sections of her sun-streaked hair worked their way into pigtails. A halter dress shaded majorly in soft pinks and purples fluttered down from her neck like flower petals floating in the wind, with matching soft pink glittery gloves adorning her arms and hands. Pale blue corded sandals wrapped up her calves while beautiful pink and green butterfly-like wings beat softly in the air.

Fred openly gaped at the trio of winged women, not able to get his brain to process the information in front of him properly. There were people here…and they had wings. Working wings, at that. No visible wires holding them up, and not enough time between wardrobe changes to be anything other than…magic. However, Velma remained skeptical. She wasn't going to throw away years worth of accumulated knowledge refuting the existence of magic and fairies due to a single parlor trick. She wasn't convinced yet.

"Ah, there's always a skeptic." Miss Grimwood chuckled, looking serenely at the bespectacled sleuth. "But I think I know just the ticket… Layla, dear, would you go fetch Daphne and Sibella?"

"No need, Miss Grimwood; we're right here." Velma watched as a set of four young women walked up toward the front door of the school. The speaker, a teen with long purple hair and emerald eyes, spoke with an Eastern European lit to her voice and was dressed in purple and red, which complemented her odd lavender skin quite well. One of her companions, a semi-transparent girl with white and blue hair, pale blue skin, and pale eyes, floated effortlessly above ground without wings. She wore a light blue dress and white boots. The next and tallest of the group had stitches traversing her skin in irregular patterns, bolts in her neck, and black and white kinky-curly hair that stood straight up. Her dress was green with a blue sash. And last but not least was…

"Daphne!" Fred and Velma gasped in unison.

"Uh, hi guys." Daphne waved timidly. "What brings you all the way out here?"

"We were looking for you!" Fred exclaimed. "What are you doing out here?"

"I'm training to be a fairy, just like the girls and Ms. Grimwood no doubt told you." Daphne responded, keeping her stance cautious. She understood their concern, but they were going about this the wrong way. It wasn't as if Grimwood's didn't have telephone or internet. Her cell phone was charged up and it received calls from her parents just fine.

"Great, they've tricked you too." Velma remarked, clearly unconvinced.

"Tricks? Is that all you think this is?" Daphne grumbled. "You think my saving your life back at that warehouse was just a parlor trick? I've got a newsflash for you, Velma! Things aren't the way you think they are! Monsters are real. Magic is real. I happen to fall under both categories, being a fairy and all."

"A water fairy, if you want to get technical." Sibella waved a lavender hand. "But she and those three are the only fairies here. I'm Sibella Dracula, and these are our classmates Phantasma the Phantom and Elsa Frankenteen."

Phantasma's maniacal giggling forced Velma to cover her ears. "Oh, you two should just _see_ the looks on your faces!"

"Now, that's a highly rude comment to make." Miss Grimwood frowned at the semi-transparent teen. "What do we say to our guests?"

"I'm sorry." Phantasma tried to be serious, but couldn't quite contain her giggles. "They're just so clueless…"

"So was I two days ago." Daphne frowned.

"Yeah, but you actually believed and they don't." Phantasma responded.

"True, but don't laugh at them anymore, 'kay?" Shaggy sighed, running a hand down his face. "You're not helping our cause much."

"No, but I think Daphne can." The mocha-skinned fairy replied, her voice calm and collected. "Show them."

Though fighting back a severe case of nerves, the redhead nodded and closed her eyes. "Daphne Magic Winx!" She cried out as the familiar violet aura surrounded her, blinding her from view for as long as it took her transformation to complete.

Fred gasped as the light faded, revealing his girlfriend in a glittery purple dress with a green sash and matching shoes. Wings, smaller than those of the other three fairies sprouted from her back and fluttered lightly once exposed to air. She looked at the blond boy, desperation evident in her blue-green eyes. "Fred, Velma…they're not deceiving you, and neither am I." She summoned an orb of lavender energy into her open right hand. It was all she knew how to do besides sprout wings, at present.

"I know this seems illogical." Tecna said, staring directly at Velma. "If I were in your shoes, I too would be skeptical. However, it is what it is. The facts are before you; do with them what you will.

Velma remained silent, trying to wrap her brain around what these women were trying to tell them. Beside her, Fred seemed to have his mind made up.

"I…I believe you." He said, faltering a bit as he tried to get the words out of his mouth. "I've known you two since we were kids." He glanced at Shaggy and Daphne. "You wouldn't go through all this trouble for a hoax. I believe in fairies." That last sentence was one that sounded stupid now that he said it, but in his mind it seemed smart and reassuring.

"I don't know that I believe, but I am more open to the possibility." Velma sighed. "I would still like more concrete evidence." This met with a groan from Shaggy and a confident grin from Tecna.

"Velma, I think you and I will get along splendidly." The lavender-clad woman said as a bright glow enveloped her and her two travelling companions. "What in Obsidian…?" She breathed as the three felt an unfamiliar kind of magical transformation licking against their skin. Even Daphne felt stronger, though she didn't have the same glow as the others.

"So it's happened at long last." Grimwood smiled, clearly pleased with whatever was happening.

"What's happened?" Elsa asked, holding a hand in front of her face to shield her eyes from the brightly glowing auras around the three alien fairies.

"For the first time in decades, a fairy on this planet has earned her Believix." Grimwood replied. "It's a transformation gained by helping someone believe in magic, and is a good deal stronger than Enchantix. Look!"

Tecna's form came to light first, revealing a sparkly lavender jumper with lime green and paler lavender accents on it, including a ruffled mock-skirt. Lavender socks reached halfway to her knees, and a pair of blue ankle boots covered her feet. Lavender short, fingerless gloves covered her hands while large green and lavender wings protruded from her back.

Layla came next, clad in shades of aqua. A one-shouldered lime green crop-top with a glittery sleeveless aqua vest covered her breasts, and an aqua choker adorned her neck. Aqua Capri pants with a ruffle around both her hips and the hem of the pant legs reached to just past her knees while boots of pink and aqua reached midway up her calves. Aqua-toned bow-shaped wings sprouted from her shoulder blades and her brunette hair was held back by a simple aqua headband.

A skirt and top comprised of what appeared to be pink flower petals and bright green leaves barely covered Flora's willowy frame, leaving an ample sections and midriff and leg exposed. Pale pink socks reached to her knees while boots of a slightly more purplish hue climbed almost as high up her legs. Her pigtails were now simple mini-buns, and gold, green-trimmed wings with green and pink floral designs on them flapped softly in the humid air.

"A new era has dawned on Earth this day." Grimwood spoke with conviction. "An era in which magic is once again known and used by beings here without fear. Oh, I've been waiting so long for this day to come!"

"Exactly how long, Miss Grimwood?" Velma asked, genuinely curious by the woman's previous comment.

"Since Morgana and the other fairies of this planet were sealed away by evil wizards many years ago." The woman replied. "Now, Miss Dinkley, if you and Mr. Jones are quite finished gawking, why don't you come inside? I'm sure Mr. Rogers won't mind giving you a tour."

"Like, not at all." Shaggy shook his head, a goofy grin on his face. "Come on, gang! I'll show you around!"

* * *

Later on, in the potions/testing lab, Tecna was running a data analysis on the power levels she detected from Daphne earlier. The source of the new fairy's power felt familiar to her, and not because it was similar to Layla's. No, Tecna knew she'd felt this power before, she just couldn't recall where.

"Oh wow." The magenta-haired technology fairy looked over her right shoulder as Velma gasped, looking at the equipment with wide eyes. "What is all of this stuff?"

"That one is a teleportation pad—very handy for getting between distant realms where no shuttles venture." Tecna pointed to one device in a corner. "That one measures the output levels of a fairy or other magical creature." She indicated another machine. "And this one is a computer of sorts. It runs data gathered about magical fields against known types of magical energy to more accurately determine the source of a magical creature's power. I'm currently trying to decipher your friend Daphne's."

"This is…I mean it's just…wow." Velma was at a loss for words, but still moved closer to the other girl. "How does it work?" She looked intently at the machine in front of the teal-eyed fairy.

"I have all kinds of devices that measure magical energy readings." The fairy explained to the girl in the orange sweater. "Once the data has been collected—non-invasively, of course—I can take the memory chips out of the devices, plug them into this machine, and hopefully get a match."

"And here I thought magic and technology would be separate fields of study." Velma adjusted her glasses as Tecna smiled.

"Oh, far from it. In fact, my home realm, Zenith, is one of the most technologically advanced magical realms known." She finished entering the search parameters into the database and clicked the 'find' button on the screen. "Once I finish my student-teacher duties here through Alfea—the school Flora, Layla, and I came from—I will return to Zenith to assume the role of my realm's Guardian Fairy."

"Sounds like a major responsibility." Velma observed. "But I have to ask, why do you want to find Daphne's 'source'? I thought she was a water fairy like Layla."

"She is, but her powers work on a different level. They don't come from the tides, but something else entirely. Once we know exactly what kind of water fairy she is, we'll be able to better train her." The fairy explained while the search engine did its job. "That, and I've felt this source before and for the life of me I don't quite remember where I was when I encountered it."

"A mystery then." The bespectacled human smiled knowingly. "Good to know that searching for answers isn't a strictly human thing."

"Dear, I wouldn't call any of you strictly 'human'." Tecna chuckled. "Fred is a shoe-in for Specialist training, if he chooses to go that route. They're kind of like magical dimension policeman/infantry. Shaggy's got some kind of bestial magic flowing through him, which has transferred to Scooby Doo. Daphne, of course, is a fairy. I haven't figured you out yet, though. You're not a witch, but I'm not convinced that you are a dormant fairy either. Perhaps a sorceress? They don't ever transform but their magic can be every bit as strong as a fully-fledged fairy."

"I'll believe it when I start giving off free light shows." Velma scoffed as Tecna's computer started to beep. "What does it say?" Not that she would understand it, but the bookworm was ever curious about things unknown.

"There's a match." Tecna felt her breath catch as she looked at the screen display. "But that's impossible…"

"What the heck are 'Water Stars'?" Velma squinted through her glasses to better read the characters on the screen.

"Very powerful artifacts." The technology fairy whispered. "They are the only thing strong enough to put out Dragon's Flame. Though since Bloom is Fairy of the Dragon's Flame, it stands to reason that at some point there was a Fairy of the Water Stars…"

"If there was, wouldn't it be in magical records somewhere?" Velma inquired. "If they're that powerful, there can't have been too many fairies with that source. In fact, I would bet that a Fairy of Water Stars can only exist if there is already someone in control of Dragon's Flame."

"You're a genius." Tecna praised, clicking on a few links provided by the search. "It says the last fairy with this power source was: Princess Dafne of Domino." If she hadn't been sitting in a chair at a desk, she would have collapsed to her knees. Having never seen any images of Princess Dafne, Tecna wasn't sure just what the dead royal might have looked like. But the proof before her was undeniable.

"She and our Daphne have the same face, name, _and_ power source?" Velma frowned. "This can't be a coincidence. Whatever happened to your princess?"

"She disappeared after saving her infant sister—keeper of the Dragon's Flame—from a group of evil witches, and was presumed dead." The fairy replied. "Apparently she underwent some sort of de-aging process instead. When she used up all her energy, she must have somehow become an infant again."

"Daphne's dreams." The brunette woman whispered. "A couple of days ago, Daphne mentioned having strange, recurring dreams of a palace, witches, and a baby."

"I would bet my realmberry those are repressed memories and not just dreams." Tecna responded. "Velma, I need you to go track down the Headmistress, Flora, and Layla _immediately_. Tell them this is of upmost importance."

"No problem." She didn't have to believe in magic to know the other woman was gravely serious. Whatever was going on held vast importance to her and those around her, and Velma had enough common sense to know she should do as she was told.

* * *

"You're sure?" The snowy-haired visage of Miss Faragonda frowned over the video chat line.

"One-hundred percent, Miss Faragonda." Tecna spoke up. She, her fellow Winx members, and Headmistress Grimwood were all gathered in the elder witch's office. "Dafne of Domino and Daphne Blake of Earth are the same person. They're identical in everything from physical appearance to power source."

"So she is indeed the missing Princess of Domino." Faragonda folded her hands together on the desk before her. "But her presence on Earth combined with the fact that you three achieved Believix transformation is not something to be overlooked. I want you girls to stay and continue training her."

"Valeria, if I may," Grimwood spoke up, "the Wizards of the Black Circle do not know what we know. They think our girl is truly a Terrestrial fairy, and as such they may want to capture her and sacrifice her to the same fate as the other native fairies of this world."

"All the more reason for you girls to stay there." Faragonda stated. "I will get in contact with Musa, as she should be able to help defend the school, if need be. Has any attack been made there, Tryphena?"

"Not by the Wizards." The short witch stated. "A power-hungry 'Witch of the Web' made an effort to brainwash the students last year, but it has been quiet since."

"I won't count on it staying that way." Layla frowned. "If these guys are as powerful as you say they are, they might try to breach the school's defenses."

"They can try, but they won't succeed." Tryphena snorted. "I know their magical signatures no matter what form they choose to take. The barriers around school grounds won't permit them entry unless invited. Which brings up the matter of educating the students about these men."

"A wise decision." Valeria nodded. "I would say it would also be wise to inform Miss Blake of her true identity sooner rather than later."

"Yes. The poor girl is so confused right now." Flora sighed. "It's as if she isn't sure who she is anymore. Maybe once we tell her, she can start finding herself again?"

"Be as gentle as possible in breaking the news to her, girls." Grimwood chided. "Her whole world is being turned on its head; it would only be natural for her to lash out in confusion or suffer a minor breakdown."

"We'll do our very best, Headmistresses." Flora bowed her head respectfully.

"And we'll start princess lessons once she gets used to that." Layla added. "Which she should be miles more adept at than Bloom was, since the family that raised her is apparently quite wealthy."

"However you see fit." Faragonda smiled. "Keep up the good work and be ever on your guard. You never know who might be waiting at the gates."

* * *

Outside the fence surrounding the school grounds, a pale-skinned redheaded wizard growled in frustration. Of all the places for the last fairy to show up, she just had to be here! She couldn't be out in the open and make it easy for them to capture her. No, she had to go to the ghoul school where that pesky old witch lived.

"Easy, Ogron." An equally pale blond wizard wearing a large hat tried to soothe his companion. "Duman and Anagan may yet find a weak point in the school's perimeter."

"Not with Tryphena running the barriers and those alien fairies helping re-enforce them." Ogron muttered.

"Maybe we don't have to get in?" the other wizard asked as a dark-skinned man with black dreadlocks sped up to the group.

"It will have to be the 'don't get in' plan, Gantlos." The superhumanly fast wizard complained. "That old bat knows us and our magic too well. Duman and I could not penetrate the shield she has around the place."

"Then we lie in wait for one of the students to get careless and leave school grounds alone." Gantlos shrugged. "We can use the girl for leverage."

"Have you forgotten that the fathers of those girls handed us our very asses on a silver platter the_ last_ time we started a fight with them?" Anagan frowned. "Even with the healing spells we used, I **still** got scars from that damn vampire!"

"The Mummy was no pushover either." Ogron grumbled, wincing at a phantom pain brought on by the memory of their memorable fight with the Ghoul Council of Elders. "Nor were the witch sisters."

"And that werewolf will maul us to bits." A fourth man—this one not quite as pale as Ogron and Gantlos and sporting a fuscia-colored Mohawk—pointed out as he approached. "Those things are magic-resistant! Just like that thing with the stitches all over it that nearly fried _you_!" He stared pointedly at Gantlos.

"But these girls are not as skilled as their sires, Duman." The blond wizard shrugged again. "We can easily capture them and make Grimwood give us the fairies in exchange for her students' lives."

"Or she calls their fathers and launches a joint-strike force that completely wipes us out." Ogron spoke up. "I do not think we will survive a second encounter with those creatures and do not wish to test that hypothesis. Come, let us go back to our lair and discuss this matter more completely."

"Yeah. The last thing we need is to screw up and get our clocks cleaned. **Again**." Duman grumbled as the four wizards left the area in a puff of smoke.


	7. The Catalyst

**Author's note: Flora makes reference here to an event in the Winx Club comics that didn't make it into any of the television series incarnations. I believe the event happened in issue number seven, but I could have my numbers mixed up. **

**In Plain Sight**

**7. The Catalyst**

Daphne sat perfectly still, blue-green eyes staring at the dusty floorboards beneath her feet. This couldn't be true; it just couldn't be! She wasn't a princess from some dead planet! She didn't die trying to save a non-existent younger sister. She was Daphne Blake from the planet Earth and the youngest child of her parents. "I think there must be some mistake." She whispered. "Your machine must have mistaken me for someone else."

"There were no errors in the data or its computation." Tecna replied. "I double and triple checked it after it spouted off the first result, as your friend Velma can attest to."

"I'm sorry, Daphne, but science doesn't lie…even when it runs on magic." The bespectacled woman sighed. She still wasn't entirely sure about the 'magic-based technology' thing that Tecna seemed to draw her power from. However, after repeating the same test multiple times and coming up with the same results, Velma was forced to admit that Tecna's diagnostic had been accurate. "Your power signatures are identical, and you look like identical twins."

"It can't be simple coincidence that you share the same name." Miss Grimwood stated. Coincidences were non-existent in the magical dimension. "Like it or not, you were once Dafne of Domino."

"Then why don't I remember any of it?" the redhead exclaimed. "I've been in plenty of creepy castles to solve cases, but I certainly wasn't raised in one and I don't have a younger sister!"

"Actually, Daph, I think you _do_ remember." Shaggy spoke up, causing the others to stare at him. "Remember a few nights ago? You told us you were having dreams of a palace and a baby? Maybe, like, it's your past memories."

"But why wouldn't I have remembered? And how did I go from being an adult to a baby, if the story is true?" The coppery-haired woman narrowed her eyes at her long-time friend.

"I cannot answer the second outside of a powerful spell, but it is possible that whatever caused your age regression also sealed away your memories." Miss Grimwood stated. "Your dreams—those reflections of your past life—began as soon as you unconsciously began to develop your powers, correct?" The young fairy nodded. "Then by unlocking your magical potential, you should be able to unlock more of your memories."

"Who are they, then?" Daphne demanded, her voice cracking with pent-up emotion. "The woman and the baby. Who were they?"

"Your mother and your baby sister, Queen Miriam and Princess Bloom of Domino." Layla-Aisha answered.

"Bloom?" Daphne made a face, clearly not impressed with that choice of name. "She's the princess of some really powerful other realm and the best name they could give her was _Bloom_?"

"I'm not sure if her birth-parents or her foster parents are responsible for the name." Layla shrugged. Bloom never said where the name came from, and the Androsian princess had never been curious enough to ask about it. "Not that it matters. When your past self 'died', she did so after bringing Bloom here so she would be safe from the evil witches that toppled Domino."

"Oh, God, my life is a screwed-up children's story!" Daphne lamented, burying her face in her hands. Princess dreams were best reserved for little girls with imaginary friends, not grown women majoring in journalism. "How did this happen to me!" Her life was so normal two weeks ago!

Fred's strong hands held onto her smaller ones. "We'll get through this, Daphne. There's got to be something we can do."

"Oh, there's several somethings." Tecna stated. "Especially since all four of you have been giving off moderate to strong magical readings."

Fred blinked in confusion. "Huh?" How could that be possible? If he did have magic, he surely would have felt it before now…wouldn't he?

"There is a very high probability that you and Shaggy are Specialists—warriors who use latent magic to power their weaponry." The Technology Fairy explained, confidence in her own theory never waning. "I would need to run some aptitude tests to be absolutely certain, but it shouldn't be a difficult matter to sort out."

"Now wait a minute, I'm not a warrior." Shaggy protested. "I was a temporary werewolf once, but I've never, like, _fought_ anything. You guys must be sensing the magic from the reversal spell."

"Reah! Rell!" Scooby-Doo nodded emphatically along with his master, causing the whole room to look at the pair as if they had suddenly thrown on top hats and started dancing a jig.

"Temporary _werewolf_?" Velma gaped, obviously not expecting that answer from her shaggy-haired friend. "When did you find time to become _werewolf_ without us knowing about it?"

"Like, last summer, before I came here to teach, Dracula had me turned into a werewolf so there would be one to compete in their monster car derby." Shaggy shrugged it off as if it _hadn't_ been a life-altering experience. "Winnie's dad already retired and moved out here to be closer to his family, which is why they were short a monster. But before the race, I made a deal with him: if Scoob and I won, he had to make me human again. We won, and he had his witches cast a reversal spell."

"Reversal spell?" Flora knit her eyebrows together, recalling a run-in she had with a young man affected with the werewolf curse at the end of her first semester at Alfea. "You can reverse the lycanthropy curse with magic?"

"Well, since magic turned me into one in the first place, it, like, makes sense that magic could reverse it." The beatnik scratched the back of his head nervously, never having given much thought to the matter before today. Headmistress Grimwood nodded in agreement and further elaborated his point.

"A powerful enough magical entity or a group of entities can reverse the process if indeed the original curse was caused by a magical spell and not a bite from another werewolf." She tilted her head to gaze at Shaggy. "But such powerful magic would be bound to the person it was used upon for decades; it's little wonder you still sense it now, only a few months after the incident."

"Okay, presuming that Shaggy's werewolf story is true and I have weapon-type magic, how do you explain Velma?" Fred frowned. He still didn't believe Shaggy had been living a secret werewolf life and hadn't told any of them about it.

"We think she may be a mage-class magic user, given her magical signature." Flora spoke up. "Of course, this is all just guesswork on our part, since she hasn't _actually_ shown any active magic like Daphne."

"So, her magic would work like Sibella's." Daphne reasoned. "She's great at casting spells, but she doesn't really have a designated power source and can't transform because of it."

"Precisely." Tecna smiled approvingly. "She catches on quickly." Much more quickly than Bloom, anyway.

"At any rate, now that we know what we're dealing with it will be easier to get you all trained in how to channel and defend against magic." Miss Grimwood spoke. "Velma, until we better understand what form of magic you have, Tecna and I will be handling your training. Flora and Layla will continue working with Sibella and Daphne until we know for sure whether or not their Musa can take time off from her duties on Melody to come help."

"Once you get a better handle on your powers, I will start teaching you the basic skills expected of a princess." Layla added, looking at the redheaded woman.

"I haven't given any thought to being a fairy princess since I was eight years old." The purple-clad fairy muttered. "I'm already way behind Sibella, and she's from this planet…"

"And _technically_ a princess in her own right, but that's beside the point…" Shaggy remarked.

"It's nothing difficult or magical." The dark-skinned Androsian reassured her. "It's a lot of trivial things like dinner etiquette and proper decorum for dealing with nobles from other worlds. I'm sure you'll master it all in no time."

Velma remained quiet as the (alleged) magical beings continued their discussion, her mind swirling with questions. Daphne, a girl she had known all of her life, was really a displaced princess from another world? The werewolf curse was real and could potentially be reversed by magic? More confusing yet, she supposedly had magic of her own?

How had everything she had come to know with such absolute certainty changed so drastically in such a short amount of time?


End file.
